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May

14

Mysterious Stuffy Nose Accompanies Massage Therapy

by Carlos Vasconcelos LMT, RCA

Have you ever wondered why you get a stuffy nose while laying face down during a massage? It is because your therapist is pushing a lot of fluids and toxins throughout your body while treating you. These toxins are looking for a way out of the body and the sinus cavities are an excellent avenue for this process, especially while laying face down. That is also why it is so important to drink a lot of water before and after a massage to flush out these built up toxins.This stuffy feeling usually goes away soon after you flip to your back, but here are some other tips that may help...-Certain essential oils, such as peppermint, menthol and eucalyptus are known to act as decongestants. Your therapist may place a few drops of oil on the face cradle before you lay face down or use an aromatherapy diffuser.-Sometimes simply adjusting the angle of the face cradle may help by changing where the pressure falls on the face. There are also memory foam face cradles that are said to reduce congestion by distributing the pressure more evenly across the face.-Chris wrote in his blog last week about some of the benefits of lymphatic drainage. This gentle therapy can do wonders for quickly relieving sinus pressure.This somewhat comes with the territory while receiving massage therapy because of the powerful benefits it provides. If you simply can't handle the stuffy feeling, your therapist can preform your massage in a side-lying position opposed to you being face down. Our therapists here understand how Essential it is to make our clients as comfortable as possible while on the table, so call Sara to see how we can help you reach all of your health care needs.